Guelph's first GO train late, but still a hit

Go Train start

Robert Wilson, Mercury News Services

The inaugural Kitchener-Guelph Go Train run saw its share of traffic Monday. Among those experiencing the new service were (left to right) Mark Jackson-Brown, Rhoda Riemer, Mark Paul, Matthew Piggott, Janet MacLeod and Jason Hammond.

GUELPH — The first Toronto-bound GO train arrived three minutes late at Guelph Central Station and the second was almost 15 minutes behind schedule — not the best beginning to the long-awaited service.

But in all, Toronto-bound commuters were pleased that GO has extended train service to Kitchener and Guelph and on Day 1, about 100 Guelph riders took advantage. Thirty or 40 riders caught the early train and about 50 caught the second one in Guelph.

“I think this will be more convenient for me,” said Kelly Morrison, a teacher in Brampton who has been commuting by GO bus for more than 10 years. She caught the first train at 6:15 a.m. and only intended to go as far as the Mount Pleasant stop in Brampton. But she has to connect with Brampton Transit after that and wanted to be sure to be at work on time.

“I’m hoping eventually I can take the later train. We’ll have to see how this actually works,” she said.

“I’m a rail fan and I’m so excited about this,” said Don Coulman, who was planning on a day of sight-seeing in Toronto. Coulman, who is now retired, said he used to commute to Toronto and is familiar with highway gridlock.

“This is a terrific way to get people out of cars and off the 401. I look forward to the day when the train runs on weekends and in the middle of the day too.”

The morning trains leave Guelph at 6:14 a.m. and 7:32 a.m. and arrive at Union Station by 7:53 a.m. and 9:08 a.m. respectively. Guelph-bound trains leave Union Station at 4:45 p.m. and 5:45 p.m., arriving home at 6:18 p.m. and 7:18 p.m. respectively. There are no mid-day GO trains, although Via Rail has a few offering. The GO train also does not run on weekends.

There are some wrinkles in the system, though.

For starters, there’s no PRESTO pass terminal at the Guelph station, so people need to purchase a paper ticket from here. PRESTO allows passengers to pre-load money on a debit-like card and use a touch screen device to purchase tickets.

“There’s no PRESTO, no free parking, and the train is late. I’m ticked,” said Michelle Murray, who used to drive to Milton and take the train from there. “I parked in a lot with an out-of-order sign in the window so I’ll probably be towed when I get home tonight. So far, I’m not impressed.”

GO announced it will be subsidizing Guelph Transit tickets for GO train riders making it more affordable for those who need to take a city bus to the train station. GO has similar deals with Brampton and Mississauga Transit and is working on a deal with the Toronto Transit System. But for the earliest train riders it’s a moot point — city buses don’t start early enough to connect many riders with the early train.

“I had to cab it here because the city buses don’t start early enough. That’s going to change, I understand,” Morrison said.

Steve Petric said even though the GO train costs about $30 more a month than the Greyhound bus, he’s happy to take the train.

“This will take more time in the morning, but less time coming home. That’s worth a lot to me,” Petric said. “If there’s traffic on the highway, buses get caught in it just like cars. I can’t wait until they harmonize fares with Guelph Transit. That will be a win-win.”

GO train users can buy their tickets inside the Via Rail station, but because the area is under construction and access is fenced off, they must board the train from an access point east of the train station.